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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Hakeem!

Hakeem!

by WaterGirl|  September 26, 202411:01 am| 123 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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I won’t even repeat what Clay Higgins said about Haitians.  Vile and disgusting, just like their dear leader.

Show me a Republican that’s not vile, and I imagine it will be Mitt Romney.  And he’s not vile; just a coward.  He should have left the Republican party.  Or maybe he is vile; there’s the whole “dog on the roof of the car” story.  Sadly, my Dogs against Romney car magnet faded into nothingness.  Sad.  That’s when I learned to always buy 2 car magnets for the great ones – one for the car and one for the fridge.

My statement on Rep. Clay Higgins. pic.twitter.com/YPpdcgDSD9

— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) September 25, 2024

I like Hakeem’s style.  Tells it like it is.  Doesn’t mince words.

I feel like we need a good image of Hakeem Jeffries for Balloon Juice.

Door #1

Door #2

Interesting to see that the two images I chose from about a hundred must have been from the same day because he’s wearing the same suit and tie, and the same pin.  Unless that’s his uniform? :-)

I hope that seeing this take no prisoners approach from the Democratic leader of the House – and some of our ass-kicking new House members – will inspire more of our Senate candidates to bring some serious fight to the game.

Open thread.

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Previous Post: « Thursday Morning Open Thread: Proud to Be A Democrat
Next Post: Masterful Gambit, Sir »

Reader Interactions

123Comments

  1. 1.

    Matt McIrvin

    September 26, 2024 at 11:04 am

    I have a feeling this guy is going to be a Pelosi- or O’Neill-level Speaker.

  2. 2.

    Bill Arnold

    September 26, 2024 at 11:04 am

    New covid tests from the US gov for those interested
    The usual – you get 4 test kits, and the form is super-easy to fill out.

  3. 3.

    Bill Arnold

    September 26, 2024 at 11:07 am

    Let’s make him speaker.
    Then the serious cat herding begins.

  4. 4.

    laura

    September 26, 2024 at 11:10 am

    I like both pics- he gives “Strong Face.” I’m hoping he’ll be wielding the big gavel and sporting gonna kick some serious ass shoes in the new year. Hakeem Jeffries is leading by example in the meantime.

  5. 5.

    Anoniminous

    September 26, 2024 at 11:12 am

    MAGAassHats heads are going to explode when we have a black President and a black Speaker of the House.

  6. 6.

    Chris

    September 26, 2024 at 11:13 am

    Show me a Republican that’s not vile, and I imagine it will be Mitt Romney.

    Oh, please.

  7. 7.

    greengoblin

    September 26, 2024 at 11:14 am

    I choose door #1. It looks like he is reaching for the receipts! 😂

  8. 8.

    lowtechcyclist

    September 26, 2024 at 11:15 am

    I vote for #1.

    And yeah, the time for beating around the bush, mincing words, and making nicey-nice with the Rethugs is past.  Glad to see that in Hakeem Jeffries we’ve got a House Dem Leader who is gonna go straight at them.

  9. 9.

    K-Mo

    September 26, 2024 at 11:17 am

    I’ll take #1 please

  10. 10.

    Jackie

    September 26, 2024 at 11:18 am

    This fits here!

    On Thursday morning, an attorney representing the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, announced on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that he will be requesting another criminal charge be filed against Donald Trump and his presidential running mate J.D. Vance.

    Speaking with co-host Mika Brzezinski, civil rights attorney Subodh Chandra was first asked about the criminal charges an Ohio law allowed his Chandra Law Firm to file against the two Republican standard bearers on behalf of the Haitian Bridge Alliance.

    Those charges stem from fraudulent and inflammatory comments made by Trump and Vance which have thrown the town of Springfield into turmoil.

    The earlier charges stem from “… the devastating harm of Trump’s and Vance’s baseless fearmongering that legal Haitian immigrants to the Ohio town are eating their neighbor’s.”

    The earlier filing called for the “immediate arrest” of Trump and Vance on charges of disrupting public service, making false alarms, committing aggravated menacing, and violating the prohibition against complicity.

    Speaking with host Brzezsinki, on Thursday, Chandra broke the news that the filing will be amended to include an additional charge.

    “Ohio is among some states in the country that permit private citizens to file charges in the form of a sworn affidavit in a court and ask the court to review those charges, affirm whether there’s probable cause and either issue arrest warrants or then refer the matter to a prosecutor for further handling and investigaton,” he explained.

    He then announced, “I should add to those that today or tomorrow we plan to amending the charges to include inducing panic. The proof is set forth in the affidavit, the proof has been there for the world to see in terms of the statements made by Trump and Vance on social media, on video captured in interviews and the effect of that on Springfield, not just the Haitian population.”

    Video included at the link:

    https://www.rawstory.com/trump-vance-springfield-newcharges/

  11. 11.

    pat

    September 26, 2024 at 11:18 am

    Not sure about door #1.  Is this the “good guy with a gun”??

  12. 12.

    rikyrah

    September 26, 2024 at 11:20 am

    BIDEN DID THIS!!!

     

    Kevin Gordon (@KevRGordon) posted at 6:08 AM on Thu, Sep 26, 2024:
    “Saudi Arabia is ready to abandon its unofficial price target of $100 a barrel for crude as it prepares to increase output, in a sign that the kingdom is resigned to a period of lower oil prices, according to people familiar with the country’s thinking.” https://t.co/9TlW1KAZ1M
    (https://x.com/KevRGordon/status/1839260826168971693?t=bpaI2t2iPsre9QCiwm6tmg&s=03)

  13. 13.

    Betty Cracker

    September 26, 2024 at 11:20 am

    I missed the Higgins furor. According to Axios, here’s what he tweeted (for anyone else who missed it):

    Lol. These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu, nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick, gangsters.”

    He added: “All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th.”

    Christ, what an asshole!

    When confronted on the House floor about it and asked to delete the tweet, Higgins said he’d “pray on it.” He did delete it but then later said he didn’t regret saying it.

    Im not sure what the standard for censure is. It can’t be tweeting dumb, bigoted things because the GOP caucus would be censured nonstop.

  14. 14.

    frosty

    September 26, 2024 at 11:21 am

    Door #1. Let them worry about whether he’s got a shoulder holster under his coat. Or worse, a phone teed up with brutal comebacks like this one!​

    @greengoblin: ​I like “reaching for the receipts” too! I hope his jacket has deep pockets.​

  15. 15.

    rikyrah

    September 26, 2024 at 11:22 am

    Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) posted at 5:56 AM on Thu, Sep 26, 2024:
    “The issue with [Harris] is that she’s not giving us a detailed plan of action,” says @FrankLuntz. “But the issue with Trump is that he’s talking too much about the past, and not enough about the future.” https://t.co/jykmu0OI3e
    (https://x.com/SquawkCNBC/status/1839257794484060422?t=5SnEvDe9YL_nR9GCggQ6qQ&s=03)

    Sophia A. Nelson (@IAmSophiaNelson) posted at 6:01 AM on Thu, Sep 26, 2024:
    Luntz is a liar. Harris has been plenty detailed. Coherent. Normal. Trump is an amazing idiot. Who has been credibly accused, again of sexual
    assault. And can’t complete a coherent thought.
    (https://x.com/IAmSophiaNelson/status/1839258928191832249?t=kgzd6lZxoTHRMjrKSFjgAQ&s=03)

  16. 16.

    rikyrah

    September 26, 2024 at 11:22 am

    John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) posted at 6:11 AM on Thu, Sep 26, 2024:
    Republicans champion the grievances of a shrinking white Christian minority as the nation grows more diverse.

    They decry economic conditions their policies would worsen.

    They can’t govern, so they lie about Democrats who can.

    my @zeteo_news column

    https://t.co/kTFsjOtHg3
    (https://x.com/JohnJHarwood/status/1839261602954006948?t=0QJg5ieHAEhbc0aAQ80kKg&s=03)

  17. 17.

    rikyrah

    September 26, 2024 at 11:24 am

    Dash Dobrofsky (@DashDobrofsky) posted at 4:55 PM on Wed, Sep 25, 2024:
    Jake Tapper just asked Mark Cuban if Harris’ plan to stop companies from “price-gouging” is her “controlling prices” like a socialist. A wildly dishonest question from Tapper, parroting MAGA propaganda. Luckily, Cuban shut him down & stood up for Harris. But still, bad journalism
    (https://x.com/DashDobrofsky/status/1839061187473863069?t=3We07WWaEQ3EowhCX8zLUQ&s=03)

  18. 18.

    dmsilev

    September 26, 2024 at 11:24 am

    Door #1 would be my choice.

    The Eric Adams indictment was just unsealed/announced. He’s basically accused of being the mayoral equivalent of Gold Bars Menendez.  In better news, the DSCC just announced big ad buys for Senate in Texas and Florida.

  19. 19.

    Baud

    September 26, 2024 at 11:25 am

    @dmsilev:

    In better news, the DSCC just announced big ad buys for Senate in Texas and Florida.

     
    Whoa. Very interesting.

  20. 20.

    H.E.Wolf

    September 26, 2024 at 11:25 am

    I like this photo too. It’s from Jeffries’ official website.

    https://jeffries.house.gov/wp-content/themes/jeffries/assets/img/bio-img.png

  21. 21.

    Kristine

    September 26, 2024 at 11:25 am

    @Bill Arnold: Order placed! Thanks for the tip.

  22. 22.

    rikyrah

    September 26, 2024 at 11:25 am

    philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) posted at 7:07 AM on Thu, Sep 26, 2024:
    NEW YORK (AP) — FBI agents seen entering New York City mayor’s residence ahead of expected unsealing of indictment.
    (https://x.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1839275574302237072?t=vPa5XJunKLxcDnomrEhYog&s=03)

  23. 23.

    Baud

    September 26, 2024 at 11:25 am

    @rikyrah:

    Tapper had been on a role lately.

  24. 24.

    bbleh

    September 26, 2024 at 11:26 am

    @Betty Cracker: I think the standard is whatever the House decides at the time it is.  But I can’t imagine you’d get this House to censure a Republican no matter what s/he said or did.

  25. 25.

    danielx

    September 26, 2024 at 11:27 am

    Clay Higgins, (R-Shithead). But his constituency will send him back.

  26. 26.

    danielx

    September 26, 2024 at 11:28 am

    @Betty Cracker: ​
     
    OT, but how’s the weather thereabouts?

  27. 27.

    Baud

    September 26, 2024 at 11:28 am

    They censured Omar, right?

  28. 28.

    sixthdoctor

    September 26, 2024 at 11:28 am

    OT, today I’m raising a toast to Stanislav Petrov, who saved the world in 1983.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident

  29. 29.

    SatanicPanic

    September 26, 2024 at 11:29 am

    I like this guy

  30. 30.

    Baud

    September 26, 2024 at 11:29 am

    @sixthdoctor:

    Some don’t necessarily see that as a good thing.

  31. 31.

    WaterGirl

    September 26, 2024 at 11:30 am

    @Anoniminous: I think about that, too!

  32. 32.

    SiubhanDuinne

    September 26, 2024 at 11:30 am

    Door #1. Gives off the same vibe as the iconic photo of Nancy SMASH!! striding out of TCFFG’s White House in her red coat.

    I barely know who Clay Higgins is. And based on Hakeem’s comment and WG’s refusal to link, I guess I don’t really want to know any more about him. 

  33. 33.

    Shalimar

    September 26, 2024 at 11:30 am

    Romney may not be vile politically (and I think even that is arguable), but his business career destroyed more lives than your average politician.  He’s plenty vile.

  34. 34.

    rikyrah

    September 26, 2024 at 11:31 am

    This is about Speaker Johnson

    Saint Javelin
    @saintjavelin
    Zelensky invited Trump to meet, he refused, he invited Speaker Johnson to meet, he refused. Now he’s getting pissed that Ukrainian delegation met Democrats and visited American workers at an artillery plant to thank them personally for their contributions.

    This is pathetic.
    https://x.com/saintjavelin/status/1839229183660085720

  35. 35.

    WaterGirl

    September 26, 2024 at 11:33 am

    @rikyrah: I was hoping that tweet would include video of Cuban shooting down Jake Tapper’s bullshit, but it didn’t. :-)

  36. 36.

    lowtechcyclist

    September 26, 2024 at 11:33 am

    @dmsilev:

    In better news, the DSCC just announced big ad buys for Senate in Texas and Florida.

    Damn, that’s good to see!

    I presume that they’ve already bought as much ad time in Montana as it’s possible to buy, since that has to be a very inexpensive place to buy ads.

  37. 37.

    rikyrah

    September 26, 2024 at 11:34 am

    The Washington Post
    @washingtonpost
    Democrat Angela Alsobrooks has pulled ahead in Maryland’s competitive U.S. Senate race with a double-digit lead among likely voters, according to a Post-University of Maryland poll, in a contest critical to deciding control of the chamber next year.
    https://x.com/washingtonpost/status/1839306271184306573

  38. 38.

    trollhattan

    September 26, 2024 at 11:34 am

    @rikyrah: Clearly WRT Speaker Johnson, Zelinsky’s reaction going forward needs to be “New phone, who dis?”

    Such a punk.

  39. 39.

    Shalimar

    September 26, 2024 at 11:35 am

    @SiubhanDuinne: Higgins is the one who was too violent and corrupt to work in law enforcement in Louisiana.  If you want human beings dehumanized, you can find a quote from him.  In the top 10 most disgusting House members.

  40. 40.

    Geo Wilcox

    September 26, 2024 at 11:35 am

    @Shalimar: That ass and his company, Bain, destroyed whole towns.

  41. 41.

    WaterGirl

    September 26, 2024 at 11:35 am

    @dmsilev: Looks like door #1 wins by a mile.

    Excited that I will be able to use my favorite photo of Jack Smith today in a post after he releases his filing today.

  42. 42.

    SiubhanDuinne

    September 26, 2024 at 11:36 am

    @WaterGirl:

    Oh, you and your pin-up boy :-)

  43. 43.

    KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))

    September 26, 2024 at 11:37 am

    @Baud: Just logged on to say this. Here’s a link to their announcement. I have to think that they believe both Allred and Mucarsel-Powell are very competitive.

    Woo-hoo!

  44. 44.

    lowtechcyclist

    September 26, 2024 at 11:37 am

    @Baud:

    Some don’t necessarily see that as a good thing.

    To quote Douglas Adams:

    In the beginning the Universe was created.

    This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.

  45. 45.

    rikyrah

    September 26, 2024 at 11:37 am

    Fly Sistah  (@Fly_Sistah) posted at 8:06 AM on Tue, Sep 24, 2024:
    After learning her fetus did not have a skull, Nancy Davis was still denied an abortion in Louisiana: “Basically, they said I had to carry my baby to bury my baby.”

    Donald Trump & Republicans did this & he brags about ending abortion rights. https://t.co/mRZ4SgMXNv
    (https://x.com/Fly_Sistah/status/1838565767350018201?t=3B5j_Zmx6ZwB0ldq6AJ-Vw&s=03)

  46. 46.

    WaterGirl

    September 26, 2024 at 11:37 am

    @H.E.Wolf:

    Your Door #3 is pretty good, too.  Pink appears to be his color!

  47. 47.

    lowtechcyclist

    September 26, 2024 at 11:38 am

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Door #1. Gives off the same vibe as the iconic photo of Nancy SMASH!! striding out of TCFFG’s White House in her red coat.

    It has a bit of Jack Smith energy too. :-)

  48. 48.

    SiubhanDuinne

    September 26, 2024 at 11:38 am

    @Shalimar:

    Okay, now I place him. Louisiana. I was thinking Texas and getting nowhere.

  49. 49.

    frosty

    September 26, 2024 at 11:38 am

    @WaterGirl: Excited that I will be able to use my favorite photo of Jack Smith today in a post after he releases his filing today.

    It’s a great day for WG then!

  50. 50.

    WaterGirl

    September 26, 2024 at 11:41 am

    @rikyrah: Johnson is pissed, after Johnson refused to meeting with Zelenskyy?

    Pathetic whiner is right.

  51. 51.

    Anoniminous

    September 26, 2024 at 11:41 am

    @WaterGirl:

    I like that one!

  52. 52.

    WaterGirl

    September 26, 2024 at 11:42 am

    @Shalimar:

    Higgins is the one who was too violent and corrupt to work in law enforcement in Louisiana.

    Too violent corrupt for law enforcement in Louisiana?   My brain spit that back out.

    DOES. NOT. COMPUTE.

  53. 53.

    lowtechcyclist

    September 26, 2024 at 11:43 am

    @rikyrah:

    Good news about Alsobrooks’ lead!

    Here’s a gift link to the WaPo story, thanks to my $1/month subscription.

    With tens of millions of dollars yet to be spent on the airwaves, a debate ahead and national attention locked on to the race, Alsobrooks’s 51 percent to 40 percent advantage is significant and demonstrates momentum, but it is not enough to put a Hogan upset out of the question.

  54. 54.

    BR

    September 26, 2024 at 11:45 am

    @rikyrah: ​

    Jake Tapper just asked Mark Cuban if Harris’ plan to stop companies from “price-gouging” is her “controlling prices” like a socialist. A wildly dishonest question from Tapper, parroting MAGA propaganda. Luckily, Cuban shut him down & stood up for Harris. But still, bad journalism

    I was never a Mark Cuban fan but I’ve really liked having him out there stumping for Harris. He’s a great surrogate on so many levels — because he’s a startup billionaire dude, the media will listen to him, and because he is less toxic (at least in public) than most billionaire dudes he doesn’t turn off our base and because he is into sports and Shark Tank he appeals to low-info voters.

  55. 55.

    WaterGirl

    September 26, 2024 at 11:47 am

    @frosty:

    Progress on a Trump indictment, check!

    Favorite photo of Jack Smith, check, check!

    Cake, check!

  56. 56.

    Betty Cracker

    September 26, 2024 at 11:48 am

    @danielx: Just intermittent rain and wind so far. Should get more interesting later this afternoon!

  57. 57.

    VOR

    September 26, 2024 at 11:48 am

    It’s Vice Signaling. They are all emulating the Great Leader by letting their inner asshole loose. He showed that you could insult entire nationalities and still win elections. Now internet trolls with no interpersonal skills are running for office and winning Republican primaries. Check out Royce White, the Republican candidate for US Senate in Minnesota. MTG. Boebert. The guy in Montana who body-slammed a reporter.

  58. 58.

    lowtechcyclist

    September 26, 2024 at 11:49 am

    @BR:

    Jake Tapper just asked Mark Cuban if Harris’ plan to stop companies from “price-gouging” is her “controlling prices” like a socialist. A wildly dishonest question from Tapper, parroting MAGA propaganda.

    Not only that, but Trump’s proposal of a 10% cap on credit card interest would be price control.  And banks would just stop issuing credit cards to bad risks, or else late charges and other fees would go through the roof.

  59. 59.

    Scout211

    September 26, 2024 at 11:51 am

    @Bill Arnold: TY!

  60. 60.

    TBone

    September 26, 2024 at 11:51 am

    @Betty Cracker: little Mike Johnson has blessed excused Higginses malarkey, so it’s all good 🙄🤬

  61. 61.

    TBone

    September 26, 2024 at 11:52 am

    @Bill Arnold: 💙😍 Jeffries’ performance at his podium yesterday was amazing 🤩🔥

  62. 62.

    Chris

    September 26, 2024 at 11:53 am

    @Shalimar:

    Romney may not be vile politically (and I think even that is arguable), but his business career destroyed more lives than your average politician.  He’s plenty vile.

    I feel like Trump’s done such a hard reset that everybody’s forgotten the 2012 campaign.  Which was the first presidential election since the Great Freakout of “OMG there’s a ni[CLANG] in the White House,” and boy, did it show.

    Romney bragged that “nobody ever asked to see my birth certificate!”  He hired a Lebanese Christian supremacist with ties to the Sabra and Shatila war criminals as an adviser!  He praised Joe Arpaio’s immigration policies as a model for the nation!  He advocated for a border wall, opposed all amnesty, and said he’d veto the DREAM Act!

    That’s just his race politics.  It’s before you even get to his class politics, whether in substance (wanting to repeal the ACA) or in effect (sneering that 47% of the population were leeches and parasites and he’d never get them to take responsibility for their own fate).

    It’s before you even get to Benghazigate (the thing that became Butter Emailz), which originated with him, and where he was so gleeful at thinking he’d finally found a smear that would work that when making his public statement about the deaths of four Americans, he couldn’t even keep the smirk off his face long enough to get offstage!

    And yes, as you say, it’s before you get to his entire career outside of politics, which largely consisted of destroying one business after another.  Dubya and Trump did the same thing out of sheer incompetence; for Romney, it was an actual business model.

    In plenty of ways Romney was Trump 1.0, although given his bad luck and stiff awkwardness, it might be more accurate to say he was J. D. Vance 1.0.  If he were Dick Cheney telling people to vote for Kamala Harris, he still wouldn’t be any less vile – but unless things have changed, last I looked he wasn’t even doing that!  He’s absolutely one of the most vile human beings ever to crawl through the halls of power in Washington, and there’s no need for us to pretend otherwise.

  63. 63.

    bbleh

    September 26, 2024 at 11:53 am

    @sixthdoctor: yeah I occasionally remind people about Col. Petrov.  One occasionally marvels that our civilization (such as it is) has survived.

  64. 64.

    TBone

    September 26, 2024 at 11:55 am

    @lowtechcyclist: 😆

  65. 65.

    Jackie

    September 26, 2024 at 11:56 am

    @KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager)):

    I have to think that they believe both Allred and Mucarsel-Powell are very competitive.

    Yeah, Gary Peters must have very solid data in order to loosen the purse strings! Just last week Peters wasn’t enthusiastic about funding FL or TX!🤞🏻

  66. 66.

    trollhattan

    September 26, 2024 at 11:56 am

    @lowtechcyclist:

    Had not heard that proposal before.

    Confess I’ve not been pleased at banks’ maintaining their sky high interest rates even when the fed funds rates were a scant couple percent and passbook savings pay sub 1%. SOMEBODY’S making money under this scheme.

    I have one merchant CC that just took time to raise their rate from 29.9% to 34.9. WTAF? I could get better than that from a goomba named Shorty.

    California usury ceiling is 10% but you can get an exception if you can fog a mirror.

  67. 67.

    Harrison Wesley

    September 26, 2024 at 11:59 am

    @Geo Wilcox: “As Willard walked home through the Hedge Fund Woods, he made up a little tune and sang it to himself: ‘Isn’t it funny/how a Bain likes money?'”

  68. 68.

    3Sice

    September 26, 2024 at 12:00 pm

    His presser after the continuing resolution passed was on point and white hot.

  69. 69.

    Jackie

    September 26, 2024 at 12:00 pm

    @VOR:

    The guy in Montana who body-slammed a reporter.

    And is now Gov of Montana 😡

  70. 70.

    CaseyL

    September 26, 2024 at 12:01 pm

    The DSCC is putting money into Texas and Florida? That’s some good news, right there. Either they do think the races are winnable, or have enough money sloshing around they can make the GOP spend more there. Either one is good.

    I will take this Open Thread opportunity to vent: Where I work, they are forcing us off using our server-based network in favor of The Fucking Cloud. Tasks that used to take me less than 5 seconds (like, say, editing and saving a file; or attaching that file to an email) now takes at least a minute each, and that’s provided the saved file went somewhere I can find it, and is the version I want, which is not at all the case all the time. I have pushed back, but… They claim it’s more secure, which is a lie; obviously, the University got taken in by yet another tech huckster selling the Cutting Edge Best Thing. (Like happened with Workday, about which please don’t get me started.)

  71. 71.

    wjca

    September 26, 2024 at 12:03 pm

    @lowtechcyclist: I presume that they’ve already bought as much ad time in Montana as it’s possible to buy, since that has to be a very inexpensive place to buy ads.

    I’m hoping they are saving some for GOTV there. Not sure how cheap it will be, given the big distances involved.  But definitely worth doing.

  72. 72.

    BR

    September 26, 2024 at 12:04 pm

    @CaseyL:

    Ugh workday. Biggest POS ever.

  73. 73.

    Matt McIrvin

    September 26, 2024 at 12:05 pm

    @Harrison Wesley: Oh, bother

  74. 74.

    Melancholy Jaques

    September 26, 2024 at 12:05 pm

    @rikyrah:

    I’m confused. Alsobrooks has a double digit lead, but it’s a competitive senate race?

  75. 75.

    Anoniminous

    September 26, 2024 at 12:07 pm

    @CaseyL: ​
     
    Well known on the Tech side that company salespeople are only lying when their mouths are moving.

  76. 76.

    wjca

    September 26, 2024 at 12:08 pm

    @WaterGirl: Progress on a Trump indictment, check!

    Favorite photo of Jack Smith, check, check!

    Cake, check!

    Pony? TBD

  77. 77.

    KatKapCC

    September 26, 2024 at 12:08 pm

    I especially like hearing Future Speaker Jeffries give speeches, or even just answering questions. He’s got a great cadence to his voice that draws you in.

  78. 78.

    wjca

    September 26, 2024 at 12:13 pm

    @Chris: He’s absolutely one of the most vile human beings ever to crawl through the halls of power in Washington, and there’s no need for us to pretend otherwise.

    Ever???

    Do even a tiny bit of research on the legislators from the Deep South during the (at least) 100 years after the Civil War.  The competition for “most vile” is really stiff.  Romney, for all his faults, isn’t really a serious competitor.

  79. 79.

    Matt McIrvin

    September 26, 2024 at 12:17 pm

    @Chris: Massachusetts centrists still, to this day, have this thing they do where they pine for the principled centrist Mitt Romney of 2002 as their ideal politician and insist that everything that came later was just an act for the rubes.

    Well, OK. Assume it’s an act for the rubes. What does it say that this guy was even willing to do that? I also haven’t forgiven him for his desperate reaching to find some way, any way, that he could stop same-sex marriage from starting in Massachusetts on his watch.

  80. 80.

    Josie

    September 26, 2024 at 12:22 pm

    @WaterGirl: ​
     I knew it was coming. Been looking forward to it.

  81. 81.

    Baud

    September 26, 2024 at 12:22 pm

    @lowtechcyclist:

    Not only that, but Trump’s proposal of a 10% cap on credit card interest would be price control

     
    Good catch. No freak out, cuz the media knows Trump is lying.

  82. 82.

    Scout211

    September 26, 2024 at 12:24 pm

    Senator Wyden  introduced a SCOTUS reform bill yesterday.

    In the wake of recent rulings upending decades of precedent and evidence of unethical behavior, Wyden’s Judicial Modernization and Transparency Act would modernize the courts by expanding the Supreme Court to 15 justices over three presidential terms, prevent political inaction from bottling up nominations to the Supreme Court, and restore appropriate deference to the legislative branch by requiring a supermajority to overturn acts of Congress, among other modernizing provisions to improve access to justice.

    The bill would also implement much-needed reforms to bring more accountability to the Supreme Court recusal process and improve transparency around potential financial conflicts and other unethical behavior.

  83. 83.

    Jackie

    September 26, 2024 at 12:27 pm

    @Melancholy Jaques: ALL Senatorial races are competitive!

    As Harris keeps reminding us – vote like we’re the underdog, because we ARE the underdog!

  84. 84.

    WaterGirl

    September 26, 2024 at 12:29 pm

    @wjca: Pretty sure the pony won’t be here in time for Christmas, but I think the pony will eventually arrive.

  85. 85.

    WaterGirl

    September 26, 2024 at 12:30 pm

    @Josie: I may have to work on being less predictable!  Or maybe that’s one of my charms? :-)

  86. 86.

    Lyrebird

    September 26, 2024 at 12:41 pm

    @Anoniminous: YESSSSSSSSSS and it will bring me even more joy than the longed-for taco trucks on every corner

    ETA: I know I am too late here but hey, we can have more than one photo right?

    WaterGirl, how about a photo of Leader Jeffries from his speech at the convention?  When he’s smiling about his “bring the fight to them” rhyme?

  87. 87.

    SatanicPanic

    September 26, 2024 at 12:42 pm

    @Scout211: Good. This needs to happen if we get the trifecta

  88. 88.

    Jackie

    September 26, 2024 at 12:42 pm

    MTG is PISSED at MAGA Johnson (again) for capitulating to the Dems!

    The Georgia lawmaker argued that Republicans did not deserve to control the U.S. House of Representatives.

    Please, Margie, set the adult example and be the first to resign your seat!🤞🏻🤞🏻

  89. 89.

    Baud

    September 26, 2024 at 12:44 pm

    @Jackie:

    I’ll say something I don’t usually say: MTG is right.

  90. 90.

    FelonyGovt

    September 26, 2024 at 12:53 pm

    @dmsilev: Interesting! My postcard group is writing postcards for Colin Allred, and to get out the Harris/Walz vote in Texas, and I was kind of wondering why. Now I’m even more motivated! Didn’t realize it was even close.

  91. 91.

    Josie

    September 26, 2024 at 12:55 pm

    @WaterGirl: ​
     Actually I don’t think you are predictable. It’s just that we sometimes think along the same lines.(Unless we are both predictable)

  92. 92.

    Chris

    September 26, 2024 at 12:56 pm

    @Matt McIrvin:

    @Chris: Massachusetts centrists still, to this day, have this thing they do where they pine for the principled centrist Mitt Romney of 2002 as their ideal politician and insist that everything that came later was just an act for the rubes.

    I don’t know how to explain to people that voting for something without really meaning it is the same thing as voting for something you really care about.

    We’re voters, not priests.  It isn’t our job to worry about how clean a politician’s inner conscience is.  It’s our job to worry about the actions the politician is using his office to take or not take.

    I also haven’t forgiven him for his desperate reaching to find some way, any way, that he could stop same-sex marriage from starting in Massachusetts on his watch.

    On the other hand, if you really do care about a politician’s inner conscience and what he “really means,” you can tell a lot about them by seeing what actions they take when they don’t really have to.  It was pretty clear that liberal Democrats, not Mitt Romney, were the ones responsible for getting same-sex marriage through in Massachusetts.  Politics wasn’t quite as furiously partisan as it would become after 2008.  He could have thrown up his hands and said “look you guys, it’s a really blue state, this was going to pass no matter what, I thought I’d save my powder for battles I could win.”  If he decided that it was a hill to die on, well… that says some things about what he really cares about.

  93. 93.

    zhena gogolia

    September 26, 2024 at 1:01 pm

    @Bill Arnold: Thanks! Done!

  94. 94.

    Matt McIrvin

    September 26, 2024 at 1:01 pm

    @Chris: That’s more or less what happened anyway. The popular lore about the 2004 election was that Bush had gotten reelected on the backs of evangelical Christianist “values voters”, who in part were freaked out by Massachusetts starting to marry gay couples. So, afterward, Romney did go around trashing Massachusetts nationally.

  95. 95.

    zhena gogolia

    September 26, 2024 at 1:03 pm

    @rikyrah: God if I write what I’m thinking the computer will explode.

  96. 96.

    UncleEbeneezer

    September 26, 2024 at 1:05 pm

    @H.E.Wolf: I nominate this one!

  97. 97.

    sdhays

    September 26, 2024 at 1:11 pm

    @rikyrah: I hope she thanks Joe Manchin for the anti-bump he gave her opponent when he endorsed him.

    Joe Manchin should now endorse Rick Scott and Ted Cruz. And that super shady guy running against John Tester.

  98. 98.

    zhena gogolia

    September 26, 2024 at 1:11 pm

    @CaseyL: Ugh Workday. We’re just beginning that living hell.

  99. 99.

    WaterGirl

    September 26, 2024 at 1:15 pm

    @Lyrebird: if you have a link to that, please send it to me. Of course we can have more than one as long as they’re all good. :-)

  100. 100.

    Jackie

    September 26, 2024 at 1:18 pm

    🤦🏼‍♀️

    Former President Donald Trump has found a new way to separate his supporters from their hard-earned money, according to critics.

    Writing on his Truth Social platform, the former president announced he was now selling Trump-branded gold wristwatches.

    “The Official Trump Watch Collection is here, and these Watches are truly special — You’re going to love them,” he wrote. “Would make a great Christmas Gift. Don’t wait, they will go fast. GET YOUR TRUMP WATCH RIGHT NOW!”

    https://www.rawstory.com/the-grift-never-ends-critics-pounces-as-trump-hawks-gold-watches-to-fans/

  101. 101.

    beckya57

    September 26, 2024 at 1:22 pm

    Re Senators growing a spine: Wyden (D-OR) today introduced legislation to reform SCOTUS, including expansion.  👏👏👏

  102. 102.

    Geminid

    September 26, 2024 at 1:27 pm

    @dmsilev: Also, the FBI executed an early morning search of Gracie Mansion a few hours after word of the indictments came out last night. The feds really want this guy.

  103. 103.

    Jackie

    September 26, 2024 at 1:35 pm

    @beckya57: Here’s a bit more info:

    “A sweeping bill introduced by a Democratic senator Wednesday would greatly increase the size of the Supreme Court, make it harder for the justices to overturn laws, require justices to undergo audits and remove roadblocks for high court nominations,” the Washington Post reports.

    “The legislation by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is one of the most ambitious proposals to date to remake a high court that has suffered a sharp decline in its public approval following a string of contentious decisions and ethics scandals in recent years. It has little chance of passing at the moment, since Republicans have generally opposed efforts to overhaul the court.”

  104. 104.

    JoeyJoeJoe

    September 26, 2024 at 1:40 pm

    @wjca: this guy is probably among the worst:

     

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_E._Rankin

  105. 105.

    H.E.Wolf

    September 26, 2024 at 1:42 pm

    @UncleEbeneezer: ​
     I vote we use all the photos, in alternation! :)

  106. 106.

    Geminid

    September 26, 2024 at 1:43 pm

    @H.E.Wolf: I would like to see the photo the Jeffries campaign sent out in 2012, during his primary campaign to succeed Edolphus Towns. Barak Obama would not endorse one Democrat over another in that race, but he didn’t mind Jeffries distributing a photo of himself flanked by Obama and Bill Clinton. I expect the three men had big smiles on.

    I first heard of Hakeem Jeffries in November of 2018, when he was elected Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. I read everything I could find about him. The funniest item was an interview by a New York journalist. He was impressed by the Congressman’s message discipline, and said interviewing Jeffries was “like talking to a very handsome robot.”

    But the very best thing I saw was Jeffries nominating Nancy Pelosi for Speaker; just under 3 minutes of brilliant speaking. If any Democrat ever feels down, that speech will cheer them up. Jeffries had “the Once and Future Speaker” grinning by the end of it.

  107. 107.

    CaseyL

    September 26, 2024 at 1:47 pm

    @zhena gogolia: ​

    I’m so sorry. If I were Catholic, I’d light a candle.

    WorkDay is, as BR says, the biggest POS application I’ve ever had to work with. It’s data capture for people who have no idea what data they really want or need to capture and therefore decide to they have to get everything.

    And I only work with the most basic parts, the reimbursements. People I know who have to do payroll or track grant budgets are regularly reduced to rage and/or tears. I know of people who’ve resigned their positions rather than have to work with Workday.

  108. 108.

    Scout211

    September 26, 2024 at 1:59 pm

    @Scout211: @Jackie:

    From Wyden’s Senate site posted in my link above:

    The bill modernizes the federal judiciary by:

    Expanding the Supreme Court to 15 justices.

    The expansion is staggered over a total of 12 years with a president getting to appoint one nominee in the first and third years of each presidential term.

    Establishing a new supermajority threshold to overturn acts of Congress on a constitutional basis at both the Supreme Court and Circuit Court level.

    Requiring that relief granted by lower courts in cases seeking to invalidate an act of Congress expire upon the issuing date of an opinion by the Supreme Court.

    Establishing a new process for Supreme Court nominations that are not reported out of committee within 180 calendar days to be automatically placed on the Senate calendar.

    Expanding the number of circuit courts to 15 and returning to the practice of assigning one Supreme Court justice to oversee each circuit.

    Expanding the number of circuits by splitting the Ninth Circuit and establishing a new Southwestern Circuit.

    Expanding the number of Circuit Court and District Court judgeships to improve access to justice.

    The bill increases transparency to improve public trust by:

    Requiring all justices to consider recusal motions and make their written opinions publically available. Any justice would be recused from a case upon the affirmative vote of the justices.

    Requiring the public disclosure of how each justice voted for any case within the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

    Requiring the IRS to initiate an audit of each justice’s income tax return (and any amended return) as quickly as practicable after it is filed. Within 90 days of filing, the IRS would be required to publicly release the returns and provide an update on the status of the audit. Every 180 days thereafter, the IRS must update the public on the status of the audit. It will also release the ultimate findings of the audit.

    Requiring those nominated to the Court to include their most recent three years of tax returns in their publicly-available financial disclosure filings. In the case that a nominee does not disclose the tax returns within 15 days after nomination, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts would be instructed to obtain the tax returns from the Secretary of the Treasury and make them public. The Secretary of the Treasury is instructed to redact certain personal identity information.

     

    A one-pager summarizing the bill is here.

    A section-by-section of the legislative text is here.

    The legislative text is here.

  109. 109.

    different-church-lady

    September 26, 2024 at 2:03 pm

    …is vile, racist, and beneath the dignity of the United States House of Representatives…”

    MAGA: “Yeah. What’s the problem?”

  110. 110.

    Matt McIrvin

    September 26, 2024 at 2:05 pm

    @Scout211: Interesting.

    I think term limits are not possible without a Constitutional amendment, but all this stuff is.

  111. 111.

    Geminid

    September 26, 2024 at 2:10 pm

    The last couple of months have seen a lot of speculation here about potential Presidential candidates. Some people have particular favorites, others extoll the strength of the Democratic bench.

    Hakeem Jeffries is never mentioned in this context. Jeffries may decide to be a 21st century Sam Rayburn, but if he ran for President I think Jeffries could be as formidable a candidate as any of the others.

  112. 112.

    zhena gogolia

    September 26, 2024 at 2:27 pm

    @CaseyL: Great.

  113. 113.

    WaterGirl

    September 26, 2024 at 2:43 pm

    @Scout211: Love what I’ve seen of it so far!

  114. 114.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    September 26, 2024 at 2:47 pm

    @greengoblin: I was thinking a small gun, but yes, door #1 has my vote too.

  115. 115.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    September 26, 2024 at 2:49 pm

    @Betty Cracker: And he can’t spell voodoo

  116. 116.

    geg6

    September 26, 2024 at 2:59 pm

    @Chris:

    Yeah, I’d probably pick Adam Kinzinger for that.

  117. 117.

    Quinerly

    September 26, 2024 at 3:07 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    Two of Amy Coney Barrett’s 7 children are Haitian.

  118. 118.

    Jackie

    September 26, 2024 at 3:16 pm

    Really? Is this a “How potentially stupid are NYC residents?” test?

    “Even before news broke of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ indictment, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was already signaling to allies that he was preparing to run for mayor,” Axios reports.

    “From a star in Democratic politics to a disgraced governor pushed to resign amid a sexual harassment scandal, Cuomo’s dramatic rise and fall could soon have another chapter.”

     

  119. 119.

    Nora

    September 26, 2024 at 3:20 pm

    @Matt McIrvin: ​
      Depends on how you write it. There’s nothing in the language of the Constitution that requires that a person remain actively on the Supreme Court for the rest of their life (or during good behavior, which strikes me as an unused restriction); the idea of emeritus justices who wouldn’t be on active duty but could be called upon in emergencies seems okay constitutionally.

  120. 120.

    Princess

    September 26, 2024 at 4:29 pm

    @dmsilev: I’m glad they’re buying senate ads in FL and TX but this isn’t good news. They’re doing it because they’re really worried about Tester in Montana.

  121. 121.

    Other MJS

    September 26, 2024 at 4:57 pm

    “Racial arsonist” is a keeper.

  122. 122.

    Kayla Rudbek

    September 26, 2024 at 11:10 pm

    @Scout211: I like this.  The only thing I would add is that all federal judges must meet the same financial disclosure requirements as the GS-14 patent examiners (I forget the exact name of the federal form, it’s not unique to the USPTO) and/or the same financial disclosure requirements as for a security clearance.

  123. 123.

    WaterGirl

    September 27, 2024 at 9:15 am

    @Princess: Or we could think of it as covering all their bases, or planning for all possible contingencies, or thinking this could be a blue wave so they are going for everything where there is even a chance of pulling it off.

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